Exploring the Food of Secret Andalucía with TOMA & COE and writer Fiona Dunlop

09.07.2018 ,Sarah Ashman

Bespoke Andalusian-based travel consultancy Toma & Coe has teamed up with renowned travel and food writer, Fiona Dunlop to create the ultimate new tour for foodies – ‘The Secret Andalucía Food Tour’. Showcasing the gastronomic delights that the lesser known region of Eastern Andalucía has to offer, the tour takes guests away from the traditional tourist trail of Seville, Jerez and Cadiz to discover the best of secret Andalucía for themselves.  

Toma & Coe’s Founder Manni Coe has created the tour with Fiona Dunlop to show guests “a side of Spain they never knew”. The food tour will reveal the hidden delights of the region, encourage guests to meet local chefs and craftspeople, eat at an authentic chirinquito and a venta, as well as hand-pick olives in an olive grove. In addition to uncovering Andalucía’s hidden treasures, guests will also be able to see one of Andalucía’s most iconic landmarks, the impressive Alhambra Palace.

Toma & Coe have 17 years of travel guiding experience in Spain, and their guides use their extensive local knowledge and contacts to source the most delectable local produce and most interesting regional food experiences.

London-based Fiona Dunlop also has an impressive knowledge of Andalucía and of Spain in general. She owns a holiday home in the olive groves of the Cordoba province, and has written several books about Spain, including National Geographic Traveller: Spain, as well as three cookbooks centring on Spanish cuisine: New Tapas (2002), Medina Kitchen (2007) and Viva La Revolucion! (2008). Her fourth Spanish cookbook Andaluz, a food journey through Southern Spain will be published in the USA in September and in the UK in Spring 2019.  The book will examine what is left of the Moorish legacy in Spanish cooking.  It is her belief that food is the most universal language of all, and her passion and knowledge of local Andalusian cuisine will make the tour an incredible experience for everyone taking part.

HIGHLIGHTS OF TOMA & COE’S SECRET ANDALUCIA FOOD TOUR INCLUDE:

• Lunch at the Alhambra Palace and a chance to meet the Parador’s head chef
• Seeing how the world’s first organic caviar is made – and tasting it
• Learning to cook tapas and experience Almeria’s tapas bars
• Picking olives in a traditional Andalucian Cortijo and learning about olive oil production
• Discovering Andalucía’s traditional handicrafts
• The expertise and knowledge of TOMA & COE’s founder Manni Coe
• Discussions & demonstrations with Fiona Dunlop and a copy of her new book Andaluz, A Food Journey Through Southern Spain
• Accommodation in luxury hotels as well as transportation in a comfortable coach with wifi

TOUR ITINERARY

Below is an overview of what guests can expect day by day on the tour:

Tuesday 6th November (D)

• Arrive in Malaga and make your way to the luxurious Molina Lario Hotel right by the Cathedral
• Spend time at the spectacular Picasso Museum (which will be holding a Picasso & Andalucía’ exhibition), before meeting the group late afternoon followed by a special welcome dinner in the Old Town

Wednesday 7th November (B, L & Tapas)

• Explore the Mercado de Atarazanas, a traditional covered Spanish market selling local delicacies (optional)
• Drive east following the spectacular coast-line, followed by lunch at a wonderful hilltop restaurant with views looking out to Africa. Arrive in Almeria and check-in to the superb Hotel Aire then a late afternoon visit of Alcazaba
• Enjoy a Tapas-crawl in centre of town (2 – 3 bars)

Thursday 8th November (B, L and Tapas) 

• After breakfast, stroll through the centre to see the ‘walk of fame’ of Almería´s thriving film industry and also see the covered food market
• Afterwards, the tour will drive to Nijar to see crafts, and enjoy a pottery & weaving demo with Matthew Weir, then continue south past the vast greenhouses of the Almeria province into the Cabo de Gata nature reserve
• Go via Ruescas to the coast & enjoy lunch at El Parque restaurant – featuring fresh seafood & luscious rice dishes. There is a chance to see flamingos from hides by the roads. Then it’s back to Almeria for some free time before reconvening for a tapas cooking class

Friday 9th November (B, L)

• Drive to Granada, stopping en route at Purullena to see the cave-houses, church-cave, cave museum and local ceramics
• Stay at Gar Anat in the Old Jewish Quarter of Realejo. Alhambra – Lunch at the Parador, meet chef Juan Francisco Castro for a brief tour of the herb garden. Then visit Nazrid Palaces with a local guide with free time to explore the idyllic Moorish gardens. Optional tasting dinner at Damasqueros Restaurant or free evening

Saturday 10th November (B, L & D)

• After breakfast, the group will walk to visit Bañuelo/ Arab baths and buy cakes from a convent of cloistered nuns
• Leave for the stunning Alpujarra mountains, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, to visit the charming town of Lanjaron. There will be time to walk round the food shops and visit the Water Museum before a lunch at a local Venta for some traditional fayre
• Return to Granada for a little down time before enjoying a meal in the Moorish quarter of Albayzin in a typical converted Carmen (A house with a garden and a view), this one with romantic views of the spot-lit Alhambra

Sunday 11th November (B, Caviar, L & D)

• Head west to Antequera, stopping at Rio Frio for a tour of a sturgeon farm and organic caviar-tasting.
• Olive picking in a historical Cortijo near the village of Archidona, and late lunch at Arte de Cozina. In the afternoon, check-in to the National Parador of Antequera and have a farewell dinner in the Bull Ring of Antequera

Monday 12th November (B) 

• Breakfast and transfer back to Malaga to your return flights or onward travel

The six night / five day tour out of Malaga runs from 6^th – 12^th November 2018 and from 4^th – 10^th June 2019. Prices start from €2140 per person based on two sharing with a €330 single supplement per person.

For more information on The Secret Andalucía Tour call 00 34 650 73 31 16, visit www.tomaandcoe.com, or email Manni Coe at info@tomaandcoe.com.